


Worth Having - The Rally

by GreenBird (lovestryker)



Series: Worth Having [4]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha Jensen, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Omega Jared
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 03:58:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5233178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovestryker/pseuds/GreenBird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after 'First Fight' and 'Art Show.' <br/>The Omega Rights' Association is hosting a rally, and they want Jared and Jensen to be a part of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth Having - The Rally

**Author's Note:**

> The first 75%-ish of this was betaed by Shaindy, and she made it so much better - thank you! The last 25 is all me. I've let this sit and sit, and now that I've finally finished I just want to get it posted. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for your patience! I'll try my best not to take so long with the next part!

Cole hailed a cab after exiting the police station and directed the driver to his home.  He was shaking with rage.  He didn’t care about the restraining order that would keep him a minimum distance from Jared, but making him give 500,000 Aucks to the Omega Rights' Association disgusted him.  Omega rights, what a joke.  On top of that the family lawyer had quit, and he knew that his father would give him endless grief over that, even though it wasn’t his fault.  It was Jared’s, just like everything else.

He slammed the front door to his house behind him and stormed into the kitchen to find Kristin, his wife, sitting at the breakfast bar looking exhausted.

“Cole!” she said as she rushed to him, resting her hands flat on his chest and looking up at him, her eyes full of worry.  “Are you okay?”

He pushed her away and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator.  He drank it down in one go and then turned back to her.  “Am I okay?” he asked sneeringly.

Kristin’s expression had turned from worried, to hurt, to angry, “Yes!  Peter called to tell me you were in jail, but that was hours ago.  I called police headquarters but no one would give me any information, and they told me not to come down.  That I wouldn’t be able to see you.  Talk to me, please, Cole.”

He sighed and took in a deep breath before crossing back to her and pulling her into his arms, “I’m sorry,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.  “I called Peter, but they wouldn’t let me use the phone again, and my phone is broken.

“I was at a gallery downtown yesterday, and I ran into Jared,” he explained with a bitter laugh.  “There was a misunderstanding with palace security, and I wound up in jail.”

“What kind of misunderstanding?” Kristin asked.

“Nothing important.  Jared just used a chance encounter to humiliate me,” he said, the anger rising in him once again.  “I was arrested in front of my colleagues, forced to sit in that filthy jail, and then they had the audacity to charge me 500,000 Aucks payable to the Omega Rights Association.”

“That sounds like a lot for just a misunderstanding,” Kristin said.

Cole stepped back and looked down at her.  “Are you doubting me?”

Kristin had never been afraid of Cole before Jared had married into the Royal Family, but since the wedding, she’d seen a side of him that made her blood run cold.  She’d also had some of her own long-held beliefs about omegas shaken, and she knew she had a lot of thinking to do, but she also knew that she needed to keep all of that to herself. 

“No, of course not, dear,” she said as she brushed a hand across Cole’s cheek.  “Why don’t you go on up and take a shower, and I’ll make you breakfast.”

That seemed to appease Cole, and he gave her a quick kiss before heading up the stairs.

++

Jared was still shaken by his encounter with Cole the next morning.  He’d slept in, which was unusual for him, and Jensen was already gone by the time he went to the kitchen for breakfast.

Ben had Matt pinned against the counter, and his ears went red at being caught by Jared.  Matt however, just gave him a smug grin, causing Jared to laugh.

Matt joined Jared at the breakfast bar while Ben made up a plate and set it in front of Jared.

“How are you doing this morning?” Matt asked.

“I’m okay. Guess I know now that nothing’s changed,” he replied with a grimace.  “What’s on the agenda for today?” he asked, signaling that he didn’t want to talk about his brother any longer.

“Not a lot, actually.  Jensen said that he’d be home early, and he left some papers for you to read over.”

“Okay, I’ll read them as soon as I’m done eating.”

++

Cole showered and ate, and then called his office to let them know that he’d be late.  The secretary didn’t seem surprised.  He drove to a nearby strip mall and replaced his phone, then went to a coffee shop to listen to his voice mails.  Just as he feared he had several from his father demanding that he call him at once.  He erased them all and headed into the office.

The firm he worked for was located on the eighteenth and nineteenth floors of a tall, glass and steel  building downtown.  He stepped off the elevator into the main lobby, and was greeted by a receptionist.  Everyone he passed on his way to the office either avoided eye contact, or stared at him curiously, and by the time he made it to his desk he was once again furious.  

His secretary followed him into his office and closed the door behind her.  Cole went through secretaries more quickly than anyone else in the firm, but this one seemed like she might actually work out.

“Messages,” Cole snapped as he dropped down into his leather desk chair.  His brusque tone didn’t faze Chrissy in the least.

“Your father has called three times.  Actually, he’s called more than that, but I’ve been letting his calls ring through to voice mail since the last message I took.”

That actually got Cole’s lips to twitch, “I hope you don’t do that with clients.”

Chrissy looked offended, “Of course not!”

Cole held up his hands, “Just making sure.”

“Aside from him, I’ve had two calls from reporters, along with the usual client messages.  Nothing urgent.”

“Ignore the reporters for now, but keep their information.  I’ll get to the clients in just a bit.  I’d better make my father my first call this morning.”

“Would you like some coffee?”

Cole smiled gratefully, “That would be great.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Chrissy turned and walked out of the office, and Cole studied the way her ass swayed in her tight pencil skirt.  Yeah, this one might just work out. 

**

Jared absently threw a ball for Hazel as he sat in a chair at the edge of the lawn and read through the papers Jensen had left for him to review.  They were from the Omega Rights Association and outlined their plan for a big campaign to push omega rights to the next level.  They were hoping to kick off the three-week long drive with a rally and had asked both Jared and Jensen to be keynote speakers.  At the end of the three weeks they’d be making a presentation to the Senate and asking for it to be put to a referendum by the Ackland citizens.

Jared wasn’t sure how he felt.  Without a doubt he supported the initiative, and he knew that Jensen would be a powerful speaker and advocate for their cause.  He wasn’t sure what he could offer though, or why they’d even asked him.  He had done nothing special, and he had it way, way better than almost any other omega and he knew it.

He put the papers aside and concentrated on playing with Hazel for a bit.  She’d settled down over the past weeks, though she still tended to get into her fair share of trouble.  He was surprised when Jensen dropped onto the seat next to him.

“Hey, baby, how are you?” Jensen asked as he pressed a kiss to the side of Jared’s neck.

Jared threw the ball one last time and leaned into Jensen’s side, “Okay, I guess.  Trying not to think about yesterday.”

Jensen took his lips in a short, sweet kiss, “I’m sorry.  I’ve made sure that he won’t slip through security like that again.”

“It’s not your fault.”  Jensen tried to interrupt, but Jared cut him off.  “No, it’s not.  It’s no one’s fault but Cole’s.”

They rearranged themselves, and Jared settled back against Jensen’s chest.  “Did you get a chance to read through the papers I left?”

“Yes.”

Jensen waited a few seconds and then prompted, “And?”

“It sounds like an amazing campaign, and I think that your support could really help make it a success.”

“And what about yours?”

“Well, I’d love to help behind the scenes, though I don’t know how much I can offer.”

Jensen sighed, “Jared you have so much to offer.”

Jared snorted, “Like what?  Sure, I could help stuff envelopes or hand out fliers, but give a speech?  What would I even say?”

“One of these days I’m going to make you see in yourself what I see in you.  No one is going to force you to give a speech, though.  Omega or not, public speaking isn’t for everyone, even though I know you’d do a great job.”

Jared twisted so that he could look into Jensen’s eyes, “Thank you,” he said as he pressed a kiss to Jensen’s lips.

“For what?” 

“For treating me like a person, not a thing, or not…not less.”

“You’re welcome.  You make it easy.”  They shared a smile that soon turned into a smirk on Jensen’s lips.

“What?” Jared asked warily.

“How do you feel about being treated as a sex object?” Jensen teased.

Jared pretended to think, “I feel pretty good about that, actually.” 

**

Cole’s day had gone from awful to more awful.  His father had berated him over the phone for nearly a half an hour, and demanded that he go groveling to their family lawyer and get him back on retainer.  He went on about how disgraceful it was to let an omega show an alpha up in public, and about how embarrassed his parents were of his night in jail.

He’d gotten off the phone only to have two of the managing partners demand his presence in the executive conference room where he’d had to endure the more PC version of his father’s rant.  He was lucky that he hadn’t been fired.

He’d had three client meetings in the afternoon and he was off on all of them, and he knew that none of them were happy with his presentations.  

And now it was after six and over half of the floor was empty.  Cole had shed his suit jacket and loosened his tie as he lounged in his chair and sipped some Scotch.  He knew he should go home, but the thought of facing another boring dinner with Kristin wasn’t appealing.  He had loved her at one time, but she didn’t hold his attention like she used to.

There was a soft knock on his door before Chrissy entered.  “Is there anything else you need, sir?” she asked.  

Cole was ready to dismiss her, but reconsidered when they made eye contact.   The look she was giving him was anything but professional.  Or at least it wasn’t the look of a professional  secretary . Cole slowly set his glass down and dropped his feet to the floor, splaying his knees wide.  “I think there is something I could use your help with.”

Chrissy smirked as she closed and locked the door behind her.  She crossed the room and climbed into his lap, running a pointed fingernail over his lips before following it with her lips.  She sat back after a moment, and then sank gracefully to her knees as she reached for the fly of his slacks. 

**

Jared nervously fidgeted with his tie.  “Are you sure I look okay?”

Jensen looked up from the clasp of his watch with a smile, “You look good enough to eat.”

Jared scowled, “I’m being serious, Jensen.”

“And so am I,” Jensen said as he crossed the room.  “But,” he said as Jared started to protest, “You do look good.  Very professional.”

Jared’s shoulders slumped, “I don’t know about this.”

“Well, I do.  You’re going to be great.  I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t sure, and I’ll be right there, right next to you through the whole meeting.”

Jared nodded and went back to fiddling with his tie.  Jensen reached up to still his hands, and gave him a soft kiss.  “Your tie is fine.  Let’s get going before Ty has to come find us.”

**

Jensen stood toward the back of the conference room, watching his husband speak animatedly with a group of omegas.  He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face; he’d known that Jared would do a great job if he could just get him to come out of his shell a bit.

They’d gone to several public forum meetings hosted by the Omega Rights’ Association.  Jared had sat at the back of the room, trying to fade into the crowd even though Jensen could see the spark of interest in his eyes from his place at the front.  

The limo door would hardly close behind them as they headed home before Jared would start in with questions, suggestions, and insight after each meeting.  Some of the basic questions that he’d not known the answers to had surprised Jensen.  He knew that James was an excellent and thorough tutor, but there seemed to be a big gap in Jared’s basic Ackland history.  

Jensen had called James after the second meeting and asked him about it, and what he’d learned had made the rage toward Jared’s family that constantly burned in Jensen’s chest spark brighter.  The Padaleckis had specifically told James to only instruct Jared on distant Ackland history.  Nothing but the very, very basics in the last one hundred years had been covered, and nothing of civil law had even been touched.  Apparently they hadn’t felt it necessary to ‘fill the omega’s head with progressive non-sense.’  Jensen and James agreed that it was just one more way to control Jared.

Jensen had cautiously broached the topic with Jared, who at first had been surprised, but then resigned.  “Just another way I’m inadequate,” he’d murmured, his head down.

“Jared-“

“No, Jensen.  It’s true.  What else don’t I know?  What else did they leave out?  It won’t be long before I really embarrass you with my stupidity.”

Jensen had immediately set up a meeting with James, who assured Jared that the rest of his education had been complete, and they’d arranged for him to begin working with Jared again to cover what had been missed.

Once Jared had gotten over his embarrassment he’d thrown himself into his studies and had gone above and beyond what a typical high school student would have learned.

This was the last of the public forums, and even though Jared hadn’t spoken while the meeting was going on, he had sat at the front of the room, and he’d let the group he was now speaking with engage him as soon as a break was called.

The facilitator called them back to order, and as Jensen took his seat he shot Jared a wink, causing Jared’s cheeks to redden.  He loved that he could do that with just a look.

After about fifteen minutes they moved on to the final plans for the the rally that would be held in two weeks.  There were a few logistical changes suggested, but most things seemed to be in order.  The meeting chair asked if everyone was comfortable with the plan, and Jensen once again caught Jared’s eye, and he could tell that Jared wanted to make a suggestion.

Jensen help up his hand and leaned toward his microphone, “I believe that my husband has something he’d like to say,” he said, unable to keep the happiness and pride from his voice.

Jared’s eyes widened dramatically, and his face flushed, but Jensen could tell the exact moment that Jared gathered his nerves.  He slowly rose to his feet and turned so that he was facing the crowd a bit more.  “I-I ju…” he paused to clear his throat, and looked at Jensen who gave him an encouraging nod.  “I just wondered... has any thought been give to providing free childcare during the rally?  If it’s going to be held at the park downtown, we could have some teenagers from the local omega school there at the playground to watch the kids.  It uh, it could give them some practical experience, and make it possible for more omegas to attend.  I don’t know, maybe that’s…” he trailed off, and Jensen could see his confidence wavering.  Before he could do anything about it though, the principal of the omega school spoke up. 

“That is an excellent idea, Mr. Ackles.”

Jared’s head snapped toward her, “It is?”

She laughed a bit, but not unkindly.  “It is.  My students would love the opportunity, and I would love the opportunity to have them be a part of the community in such a positive and visible way.  I think that there are a lot of omegas out there with little ones at home who wouldn’t even consider attending if they thought that they’d have to keep their children entertained during the rally.  We’ll have to find a way to get the word out to the omega community, but I don’t think that will be too much of an issue.”

Jared’s expression morphed from shock, to doubt, to pride, a look that Jensen saw there far too little, and Jensen could feel his own grin stretching across his face.

The meeting broke up soon after that, and Jared joined Jensen as he spoke to the co-chairs of the rally, as well as the ORA director.

“We’ll have one more meeting with just the rally organizers to review our plans,” director said as she glanced down at the calendar in her hands.  “I have it scheduled for next week Tuesday.  That will give us three full days before the rally on Saturday to take care of any last minute issues.  Do you think you’ll be able to attend, Prince?”

Jensen shook his head regretfully, “No.  I have obligations at the Palace all day.”  He turned to Jared, “Do you have plans for next Tuesday?”

Jared looked confused as he shook his head.

“Great!” Jensen said, turning back to the director.  “Jared will take my place at the meeting.”

“Wonderful,” the director said at the same time as Jared said, “I will?”

“You can consider any input from Jared as if it was coming directly from me,“ Jensen told the director.  “I’ll also have a member of my security team attend.”

They said their goodbyes and got into the car to head back to Grenwald.  “Do you really want me to take your place at the meeting?” Jared asked.

“Of course.  I trust your judgment, and I think that this will be a good experience for you.”

Jared didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t argue, so Jensen considered it a success.

**

Jensen came home from the Palace Monday evening to find Jared standing in front of a blank canvas, starting out the windows of his studio.  He stood in the doorway, silently watching his husband.  He sometimes still couldn’t believe that Jared was his; that Jared  wanted to be his.  They’d been together for nearly a year, and Jensen fell more in love with him each day.

He knew that Jared was apprehensive about the meeting with the ORA the next day, but he also knew that he’d do an amazing job representing him.  Jensen still walked a very fine line between not pushing Jared enough, and pushing him too hard.  They were partners, equals in Jensen’s eyes, but sometimes Jensen felt as though he had to be a little bit like a parent, forcing Jared to step out of his comfort zone.

“Is there a reason you’re staring at me like a creep, Prince?” Jared asked teasingly.

Jensen laughed, “I’m just admiring your ass, Mr. Ackles.  Think we have time for me to fuck you before dinner?”

Jared spun around, his face flaming, “Jensen!”

Jensen’s smile turned to a smirk, “What?  There’s no one here to overhear.  In fact, I think that maybe I’ll strip you down and press you up against those windows, what do you say?”

The red in Jared’s face changed from being there from embarrassment, to being there from arousal, and his breath quickened.  He clumsily set his brush down, not even noticing when it clattered to the floor, “Th-That’s…”

“That’s what?  A great idea?” Jensen finished for him as he stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind him.

Jared didn’t respond, instead rubbed his palms on the front of his jeans.

Jensen pulled him into his arms and rested his forehead against Jared’s.  “I love you, Mr. Ackles,” he whispered.

Jared didn’t respond, and instead pressed his lips to Jensen’s.  It wasn’t long before Jensen made good on his idea.  Jared was naked and squirming as Jensen pushed him face first against the window and dropped to his knees behind him, spreading him wide and licking into his tight heat.

Jared’s slick coated his tongue, and Jensen groaned as he reached down with one hand to pull himself free from his slacks.  After another minute he pushed himself to his feet and slid home in one long, slow thrust.  He bit down on the back of Jared’s neck as he set up a fast pace, driving both of them to the edge quickly.

“Fuck Jared, you feel so good, but I’m not going to knot you right now.”

Jared whined and pushed back, causing Jensen to gasp and then laugh.

“Don’t worry baby, I’ll get to that later.  Matt told me on my way up here that dinner is almost ready.”

Jared groaned, “Don’t…don’t talk about Matt right now!”

Jensen laughed again and redoubled his efforts, and it wasn’t long before Jared stiffened and then shook as his climax overtook him, pulling Jensen’s along with it. 

After they’d caught their breath and cleaned up they headed downstairs to eat, and Jensen asked Matt and Ben to join them, knowing that they’d help him bolster Jared’s confidence for the meeting the next day.

“Did you two have a good day?” Jensen asked Matt and Ben.  Ben nodded and Matt agreed, adding that he’d helped Jared review the information the ORA director had sent over.

“Do you have any questions?” Jensen asked Jared.

“Did you clear your schedule so that you can go?” he replied hopefully.

Jensen squeezed Jared’s hand, “Sorry, it’s all you.”

“You’re going to do a great job,” Matt enthused, and even Ben spoke up to agree.

++

Jared tried to hold onto the confidence he’d felt at dinner the night before as he walked into the ORA office the next afternoon.  He did feel more confident than he ever had, but being a part of something so big and so important was very overwhelming.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Ackles,” one of the receptionists greeted him.  “I’ll show you to the conference room.  Can I get you anything to drink?” she asked as she led him down a hallway.  “Or anything for your…associates?” she asked, looking back at his security detail.

“I’m fine.  Guys?” Jared asked, turning his head a bit toward the two guards behind him.

“No, sir,” they replied almost in unison.

Jared shook hands and greeted those who were already in the room and then took his seat, trying and failing to not fidget.  His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he quickly pulled it out, happy for the distraction.

Relax!  You’re going to do a great job.  I trust you implicitly, and I love you more than anything. – J

Jared felt a dopey grin spread across his face as he typed out a quick  Thanks, love you too  back.

Soon the meeting was underway, and Jared sat quietly, hoping that he could fade into the background and not have to talk.

“What do you think, Mr. Ackles?” the director turned to him.  “It was your idea to offer childcare.  Do you think the playground in the park will be enough to entertain them?”  The director was a woman in her mid-thirties, and her mid section was just starting to round with her first child.  She smiled ruefully as she lovingly rubbed her hand over her belly, “I’ll have to learn soon, but I’m not really sure what might keep small children occupied.”

Jared laughed a little.  “I don’t have a lot of experience myself, but I’ve been thinking about that.”  That was true, but only thanks to Matt, who had brought up the idea when they were talking about the rally the day before.  “I think that we’d better have some snacks, too.  And what if it rains?”

“We’ll be holding the rally rain or shine,” the director replied, looking a bit confused.

“Yes, but we don’t want to have the kids out in the rain.  Can we use the community building next door for them if it rains?  Maybe have some cartoons playing or something?”

The principal of the omega school cut in, “We have that covered Director, Mr. Ackles.  My students have games prepared for both inside and outside.  And thank you again, Mr. Ackles, for suggesting my students help out.  They’re very excited about it.”

Jared felt his cheeks heat a little as pride filled him, “You’re welcome.”

The rest of the meeting went well, and Jared’s new-found confidence even allowed him to contribute a few times, unprompted.

++

Cole sat at the breakfast bar in his kitchen Wednesday morning, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.  Kristen was at the stove making breakfast, and she jumped in surprise when Cole slammed his mug down.

“Did you read this?” he demanded, shaking the paper at Kristin.

“No, what is it?”

“The Omega Rights’ Association,” he said with a sneer, “is hosting a rally Saturday to ‘promote the need for increased civil liberties for omegas all through Ackland’.”  

Kristen thought that was a good thing, but she wisely kept that to herself.

“And do you know who the keynote speaker is going to be?” Cole continued, not waiting for an answer, “Prince Jensen.  I’ll bet Jared will be right there next to him, that fucking smug little prick, instead of on his knees in the bedroom where he should be.”

Kristen shook her head and sighed, setting her spatula down and turning to her husband, “Cole-“ she started.

“What?” Cole snapped before she got any farther.

Kristen thought better of sharing her changing opinion on the omega issue.  Instead she said, “Breakfast is ready.” 

**

Cole stormed down the hall to his office Friday afternoon.  He’d had it.  He’d had to listen to another long rant from his father when he found out that Cole had been unable to get Peter back on retainer as the family lawyer.  He’d run into a high school friend at lunch the previous day and had had to listen to him go on about how amazing it was that Jared was doing so much to advance omega rights and how lucky Cole was be his brother.  Setting the guy straight had caused Cole to be asked to leave the restaurant.  Kristen was acting more and more distant, and just that morning he’d been stopped by a reporter outside of his office asking for a statement about tomorrow’s rally.  He didn’t think that they’d be printing what he’d had to say.

It seemed no matter where he went, or what he did, he couldn’t get away from his brother.  How had things turned out so wrong?  Marrying Jared off to Prince Jensen was supposed to be his ticket to bigger and better things, but Jared had made sure that hadn’t happened.  Everything that was wrong with Cole’s life was directly related to his worthless, omega brother.  It wasn’t fair.  Jared was living in the lap of luxury while Cole still had to work a 9 to 5 and put up with every ones shit.  He shouldn’t have to deal with any of it.  He  wouldn’t put up with it.  He grabbed the newspaper off his desk, more news about the ORA rally screaming at him from the front page.  He had an idea.

**

After work that evening he stopped by his parent’s house on the pretense of once again apologizing to his father.  He had to grit his teeth to do it - it wasn’t his fault that Peter wouldn’t come back as the family’s counsel.  After promising to find another lawyer just as good as Peter, Cole excused himself, saying he needed to get home for dinner.  Neither of his parents noticed his detour through the garage and to the gun safe on his way out.

**

Cole was up early and on his way to the office on Saturday.  He’d emptied his briefcase of papers, and instead filled it with a change of clothes.  He greeted everyone he saw from the front entrance of the building to his office.

“Good morning, Chrissy.  Any messages?”

“No, sir, but I do have this month’s client invoices for you to approve,” she said as she handed him a stack of papers.

“Thanks for coming in on a Saturday.  I’ll try to get things wrapped up so we can get out of here.”

“I don’t mind.  Just let me know if there’s  anything I can do for you,” she replied as Cole headed into his office.

He knew that he had a very tight window to pull off his plan.  The rally was set to start at 9:00 am, with Prince Jensen set to speak at 9:15.  He knew that he wouldn’t be able to get away with doing anything while Jensen was on the stage, security would be too tight.  However, if he arrived at the end of the rally, as people were leaving, their attention not on one point, he figured he could shoot Jensen, get lost in the chaos that would result, and be back in his office before anyone noticed he was gone.  The park was just around the corner from his office building, so he wouldn’t even have to bother with working out transportation.

He came out of his office at 9:10, stack of completed invoices in his hand.  “Chrissy, could you take these to accounting?”

“I don’t think there’s anyone working there today.  Do you want me to hold on to them until Monday?”

“No, I don’t want to wait.  Just put them in Alan’s inbox.”

“Okay,” Chrissy said as she took the invoices and stood.  “Anything else?”

“I’m going to spend the next couple of hours working on the McClish presentation and I don’t want to be disturbed for any reason.  Once I’m finished maybe I can take you to lunch?”

“Absolutely.”

Cole went into his office, closing the door behind him.  He waited until he was sure Chrissy was gone, then quickly changed into his casual clothes, tucking the gun he’d taken from his father into the waist band of his jeans.  He carefully packed his suit into his briefcase, and then slipped from his office to the emergency stairs.  The stairwell opened into the receiving area for the building, which was deserted on the weekend.  He stashed his briefcase behind a dumpster and headed out the side door toward the park, reviewing his plan as he went.

He’d considered just shooting Jared, but had decided that was too good for his brother.  Shooting the Prince instead would cause Jared much more pain.  He knew his brother well enough to know that he’d blame himself for his husband’s death, as he well should.  Cole wouldn’t be doing any of this if Jared had allowed things to happen like they should have.  Plus, with Jensen out of the picture, Jared would have nowhere to go.  Certainly the royal family wouldn’t keep him around, and there was no way his parents would allow him to come home.  As satisfying as it would be to shoot his little brother, shooting the Prince would be just that much better.

**

The morning of the rally dawned bright and sunny.  Jensen was thrumming with excitement, but Jared was less thrilled.  Though he’d tried to hide his unease, the incident a few weeks earlier with Cole still had him a bit on edge.  He couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

He was staring into the mirror, not really seeing himself when Jensen came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

“I can hear you thinking all the way down the hall.  What’s going on?”

Jared turned around in Jensen’s embrace and laid his head on Jensen’s shoulder.  “I just can’t help but feel like something terrible is going to happen,” he whispered.

Jensen ran his hands up and down Jared’s back, and pressed a kiss to his temple.  “I think that what happened with Cole still has your rattled, but you know that the Palace has some of the best security officers in the world.  We’ll be fine.”

“Promise?”

“I promise, baby.  Try and shake it off and enjoy yourself today.  I’ve cleared my schedule for next week so we can spend it together, no meetings or rallies, just the two of us.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.  Now come on, we need to get going.”

Jared felt marginally better after that.  Jensen was right, there was no better security than the Palace Guard.  He did his best to push away his nervousness and enjoy the day.

****

The rally was a raging success, and as Jared listened to Jensen give the keynote address he felt himself bursting with pride.  Jensen could command the attention and respect of an audience be it ten people or a thousand.  He was lost in thoughts of how lucky he was when the roar of the crowed brought him back to the present.  Jensen was stepping down from the podium, heading straight for Jared, and pulling him into his arms.

“See?  Nothing to worry about.”

Jared smile and tightened his arms around his husband, feeling both proud of him, and relieved that it was over.

“Excuse me, Prince Jensen?”  Jensen turned to the Palace’s press secretary.  “We just need a few minutes of your time for some pictures.”

By the time the photos were taken the rally was starting to break up, people heading in all different directions and the crowd in the park thinning a bit.  Jared looked over at the playground where the omega students were still supervising several young children.  He was pleased to see that it looked like it had gone well.

“Let’s go over and thank the students, shall we?” Jensen asked.

“That would be nice,” Jared said.  “If Ty thinks it’s okay?”

“I think it’ll be fine.  Security is still on site, and we haven’t had any issues.  Just stay close to each other, and to me so that we don’t get separated.”  Jared watched as Ty gave a couple of hand signals, and some of his agents drew in a bit closer, ready to escort them across the park.  

**

Cole couldn’t believe his luck.  His timing had been perfect, arriving at the park just as things were starting to break up.  In his casual clothes with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, no one had given him a second glance.  He pulled out his phone, pretending to take a call as he watched the Prince and his brother start to cross toward the playground.  He could see their security detail tighten up a bit, so he sat at a picnic table, glancing at his watch as if he was waiting for someone.

People around him were talking about what a success the rally had been, and Jared and Jensen were stopped several times to receive congratulations and praise.  Seeing Jared get what should have been Cole’s made him more determined than ever to take it away from him.

He glanced once more around the park, feeling smug and over confident.  He was going to get away with it, he could feel it.  He was going to ruin Jared’s life, just like Jared had ruined his.

**

Jensen and Jared spent a few minutes thanking the omega students when Ty told them it was time to go, his brusque tone leaving no room for argument.  

“What’s going on?” Jensen asked as he took Jared’s hand and started toward where the limo was waiting for him.

“One of my agents thinks that he spotted Cole Padalecki.  It’s probably nothing-”

Jared’s blood ran cold, and time seemed to slow down for him, even as everything around him seemed to speed up.  He’d known that something bad was going to happen.

** 

Cole watched as Jared and Jensen abruptly started to head toward the parking lot.  He glanced around and noticed two men heading toward him.  No.  No, he’d been so careful.  How had they spotted him?  Anger overrode common sense, and he jumped up from the table, pulling his gun and rushing toward his brother.  

**

Jared and Jensen were surrounded by security and hurried across the open space of the park toward the parking lot when Jared noticed a man rushing toward them from Jensen’s side.  Something in his hand glinted in the sun as he ran toward them, agents racing after him, their guns drawn.

People were quickly figuring out that something seriously wrong was going on, everyone scattering and adding to the chaos.  A little boy, maybe ten, was running toward his mother, and ran straight into the agent to Jensen and Jared’s left, causing the man to trip and fall, leaving Jensen unprotected.  Jared didn’t even stop to think as he watched Cole raise his gun.  He pushed Jensen out of the way, trying his best to put himself between his brother and his husband.

He heard screams and gunshots, and then he was on his back, looking up at the clear, blue sky.  He couldn’t feel anything, and he wasn’t sure how he’d gotten on the ground, but he knew that he had to get up, had to protect Jensen from Cole, but he couldn’t move.

The sky disappeared, and it took him a minute to realize that it was Jensen’s face that had taken it’s place.  Good, Jensen was okay.  But then Jared realized that Jensen was crying.  He tried to reach up to brush away the tears, to tell him that everything was fine, but his hand did nothing more than twitch before everything went dark.

 


End file.
